Each year in November, after regional heats in Belfast, Cork,
Derry, Dublin, Galway and Limerick have produced two finalists from each
province, the finals are held to judge who of Ireland's top eight performance
poets will walk away with the prestigious crown of All Ireland Poetry Slam
Champion.

As the event has no formal funding we are advertising our
project on the crowd-funding site fundit.ie, in the hope of raising €1000 to
cover prize money and expenses for travelling poets, plus the printing costs for
100 copies of a special commemorative edition chapbook of the 16-18 poems that
contestants bring to the final. A €10
donation secures you an Honourable Mention in the Special Edition Slam Final
Chapbook of Finalists' Poems, whilst €20 secures a mention and a copy of the
publication.

Founded on the idea of the old bardic circuit, the location
of the final alternates each year, rotating among the four provinces, and have
so far been held in 2007 Ulster (Belfast), 2008 Munster (Limerick), 2009
Connacht (Galway), 2010 Leinster (Dublin) and 2011 Ulster (Derry).

The 2012 final will be hosted by Ó Bhéal on 30 November at
Cyprus Avenue in Cork, Munster.

Please go to the fundit.ie and Facebook pages to donate,
listen, watch and read a full history of this competition. Any support is very
gratefully appreciated.

Sunday, 29 July 2012

Béal Festival, a biennial festival of music and text in Dublin, announce
a call for already-existing pieces or proposals for new pieces. We
are looking for text-based pieces which respond in some way to the work of
our featured composer Robert Ashley.

Pieces / proposals in any format will
be considered; the emphasis will be on pieces featuring voice(s) with
or without electronics; it may be feasible to include additional
instrumental forces.

According to Wikipedia. Robert Ashley, is a contemporary American composer, best known for his
operas and other theatrical works, many of which incorporate electronics
and extended techniques. Along with Gordon Mumma, Ashley was also a
major pioneer of audio synthesis.

Friday, 27 July 2012

To
promote
writing,
reading
and
creativity,
DkIT
wishes
to
recruit
a
Writer
in
Residence,
based
in
the
Institute
Library.

The
Writer
in
Residence
will
engage
with
the
DkIT
community
of
staff
and
students,
and
with
the
local
community,
including
local
schools
The
Writer
in
Residence
will:

have
previously
published
work

have
skills
in
working
with
young
people,
students
and
institutions

have
the
capacity
to
produce
work
in
collaboration
with
others

have
the
capacity
to
encourage
and
inspire
others

be
flexible
and
able
to
respond
to
situations
and
the
different
needs
they
encounter

be
able
to
work
on
own
initiative

DkIT
recognises
the
importance
of
the
Writer
in
Residence’s
professional
development.
The
successful
writer
will
be
given
the
chance
to
develop
and
explore
their
own
writing
styles
while
participating
in
the
residency
and
the
scheduling
of
the
Residency
will
incorporate
time
for
the
Writer
to
develop
his
/her
work.

A
Working
Group,
drawn
from
the
Library
of
DkIT,
the
Arts
Service
of
Louth
Local
Authorities
and
community
interests
will
guide
and
support
Writer
during
the
Residency.
A
contract
not
exceeding
6
months
will
be
offered.

Thursday, 26 July 2012

The Penny Dreadful is a new Cork based literary magazine and is currently accepting submissions.
We accept all known forms of creative writing, and several that are sadly as of yet unknown to all but our editorial staff. And we want you. Yes, even you, as wretched and forlorn as you may well be. We want you to submit to us anything that you may happen to have written that you feel is of a certain quality and standard to appear in the esteemed pages of The Penny Dreadful.

So then go forth and multiply and then tell us about it in a poem or something.

Fiction: Two stories of no more than 3,000 words.

Poetry: Six poems, unless you are writing long heroic epics. We won’t accept six of those.

Tuesday, 24 July 2012

In 1975, Moss Rich sent a satirical poem about the Harold Wilson government in Britain to a political columnist at The Times
in London. He was surprised to see that they published it and even more
so to receive a cheque for 'two and a half or three guineas' in payment
for the piece. Moss said, ‘From then on, I began taking poetry
seriously,’ although in light of his wicked sense of humour, it might be
fair to say not too seriously.
Humour has the power to break ice and pretension, to bring people
together and to highlight an emperor’s lack of clothes. As Moss
demonstrated, humour can be persuasive: a means of revealing the
ridiculousness of a situation, exposing faulty lines of reason, or of
smuggling non-conformist opinion into the field of debate. Humour can be
literature’s Trojan horse - and it has never been needed more than now.

Monday, 23 July 2012

The Stony
Thursday Book is seeking submissions from local, national and
international poets for its next issue, to be published as part of
CUISLE, Limerick City International Poetry Festival in October 2012.
This year’s editor is the Limerick based poet Jo Slade.

Sunday, 22 July 2012

Strandhill Summerfest is on the 27th to 29th July this year. Writers Órfhlaith Ní Chonaill, Ted Deppie, Annie Deppe
and Joe Kearney are the facilitators.

Strandhill
Summerfest is a weekend of writing and celebration for writers of all
ages: beginners, advanced or established. It offers a gentle, supportive
environment where it is safe to create new work. Again, we bring
together our team of four inspirational facilitators whose aim is to
nurture new writing.

Órfhlaith
Ní Chonaill’s workshops use the AWA(amherst Writers And Artists) method devised by Pat Schneider.
These are multi-genre workshops which evoke and enable writing and
encourage writers to find and use their own voices with confidence.

Ted
and Annie Deppe share their expertise as poets and teachers, their love
of their craft and their joyful appreciation of all poetry. Joe Kearney
is a writer and broadcaster whose voice is familiar to Lyric FM and RTE
Radio One listeners. Joe offers an insider view of writing for radio.

The
Summerfest will be held in the home of Órfhlaith Ní Chonaill in
Strandhill, Co. Sligo. It costs €125, which includes snacks, light lunch
on Saturday and dinner on Saturday evening.

Saturday, 21 July 2012

I know lots of you read it as I have met many of you. I get no assistance from any organisation. No arts council funding, no county fundingm no generous anonymous donors.
Occasionally I get sent books or invites to events. That's nice.

But this blog takes time and effort to keep going.

Show your appreciation and buy me a coffee. €3 will cover one lunchtime writing in the coffeeshop. €15 will cover a whole week.!

This Stephen Murray isn't any of these Stephen Murrays. (Although he
did recently do an extensive reading tour of the U.S. on his bike, we
don't believe it was a BMX) OUR Stephen Murray(born 1974) is a decidedly
singular poet from Galway writing poems of charm and wit that
nevertheless often engage with the harsher issues of addiction, abuse,
abandonment, and other things not necesarily starting with the letter
"a". His recent collection House of Bees is published by Salmon Poetry
and will be available on the night.

SPOKE is the open mic night at the Irish Writers Centre, taking place
on the third Friday of every month. Writers, spoken word artists and
musicians are all welcome to perform. Doors at 7.30pm. Free admission.
If you'd like to perform, please be prompt, we'll be signing people up
from the time the doors open. You can't sign up by email, you've got to
be there. The earlier spots fill first, so get in early.

Thursday, 19 July 2012

Just as Ovid inspired Titian and Titian inspired Metamorphosis: Titian 2012,
the National Gallery challenges you to write a poem inspired by
Titian’s 'Diana and Actaeon', 'The Death of Actaeon' and 'Diana and
Callisto' in 140 characters or less.

The prize

The winning poem will be chosen by leading poet George Szirtes and
Jillian Barker, Director of Education, Information and Access at the
National Gallery. It will be published on the National Gallery website
with comments from the judges.
The author of the winning poem will also receive:

A beautiful leather-bound copy of Ovid’s 'Metamorphoses', worth £295, from the Folio Society

Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Celebrated
actor, writer and stand-up comedian Patrick McDonnell will be teaching a unique
one-day workshop in writing for sketch comedy at the Moth Studios in Cavan town.

Patrick is
best known for his work on TheSavage
Eye, Father
Ted,
Stew
and Naked
Camera. He has also
contributed to the BBC Radio 4 sketch show, The O’Show and the Radio
Ulster show, Nutt’s
Corner, which he also
script-edited. He has written for a variety of shows on RTE, including the
Cathal Murray show on radio, RiRa on TG4,
Don’t Feed the
Gondolas and
@last
TV on RTE. He is
currently hard at work writing for a new Channel 4 show which is due for
broadcast in the autumn.

10am−5pm

€75

For more
information and to make a booking contact Will Govan on 049 4362677 / 087
2657426

Tuesday, 17 July 2012

The Green Man/Wild Man and Children's Culture conference will be at the National
Botanic Garden in Glasnevin.

The School of English at Trinity College Dublin
will present a two-day multidisciplinary conference exploring the role of green
man and wild man motifs in twentieth and twenty-first century children’s
culture. From Puck to Captain Planet, the green man motif may help to kindle
ecological awareness and excite the environmental imagination. The green man
offers education and guidance and a release from the pressures and
responsibilities of the civic space. Yet the spaces the green man inhabits –
forests and wildernesses – are also sites of wild abandon, savagery and panic
where human characters become wild men and slip away from their civilised
identities altogether.

This conference will celebrate all aspects of the green man and the wild man in
children’s culture and will showcase speakers from around the world. Highlights
include keynote lectures, panels, and a special, private tour of National
Botanic Gardens in Dublin.

Keynote speakers:Amanda Piesse (TCD): ‘Riders on the storm: negotiating emotion
through the Green Man myth in children’s literature’Roni Natov (CUNY): ‘The Dark Pastoral: From Sendak to David Almond
and Neil Gaiman’Sally Nicholls (Author of Season of Secrets): title TBCJim Kay (Kate Greenaway medal-winning illustrator of Patrick Ness' A
Monster Calls): 'Creating a Monster: Illustrating the Green Man for A Monster
Calls'

The conference takes place on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st July. More
information and registration here.

Monday, 16 July 2012

A select list of magazines that have taken poems from Ireland in the past. Worth reading even if you don't want to submit.

Memorious only accepting submissions for our art song contest. We are closed for new general submissions until further notice. Online literary journal publishing poetry, fiction, and views on literary craft, including reviews, interviews, and sketches. Memorious was founded in 2004 by Robert Arnold, Rebecca Morgan Frank, and Brian Green.
Work from Memorious is forthcoming in Best American Poetry 2012 and has been been featured in print anthologies Best New Poets (2010, 2009, 2008, 2006) and Best of the Web (2010, 2009, and 2008), as well as the online Best of the Net 2011, 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007.

Agni Check back in September for submissions. AGNI was founded in 1972 at Antioch College by
undergraduate Askold Melnyczuk, a then-aspiring (now accomplished) writer
with his own vision of a vehicle for alternative news, visual arts, and
literature. Melnyczuk was interested in creating a magazine that would feature
a new generation of writers and visual artists.
We see literature and the arts as part of a broad,
ongoing cultural conversation that every society needs to remain
vibrant and alive. Literature for literature’s sake is not what AGNI is about. Our writers and
artists hold a mirror up to nature, mankind, the world; they courageously
reflect their age, for better or worse; and their work provokes
perceptions and thoughts that help us understand and respond to our age.

Salamander Closed for submissions until 1st September to 30th April. A nonprofit literary organization that publishes a biannual magazine of
poetry, fiction, memoir, and works in translation. It was founded by
Jennifer Barber in 1992 with the aim of publishing a generation of
writers reaching artistic maturity and deserving of a wider audience
alongside new work by established writers. In addition to the magazine,
Salamander, Inc. sponsors events and readings in the Boston area and in
New York. Salamander became affiliated with Suffolk University in the fall of 2005.

Northern Liberties Review. A quarterly online journal of masterful fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and art.
Northern Liberties is a unique neighborhood located just north of downtown Philadelphia.

Saturday, 14 July 2012

Skylight Poets are a group of poets who meet with poet and facilitator Kevin Higgins
to workshop their writing in Galway Arts Centre on Thursday afternoons.
The room they use is at the top of no. 47 Dominick St., the attic with
skylight windows, hence the name of the group.

Skylight Poets are seeking submissions for a new poetry magazine
to be launched on January 24 2013 at the 10th Anniversary Over The
Edge: Open Reading at Galway City Library. Please send no more than six poems, along with a short biographical note to skylightpoets47@gmail.com

Poems are to be sent as an attachment (.doc, .docx, .txt or .rft) AND in
the body of the email. Work should be unpublished.

Deadline: September 1st 2012.

The editors would also be interested to receive ideas for reviews,
particularly of recent debut poetry collections. Contributors will
recieve one copy of the magazine, plus an invitation at a special Over
the Edge reading in Galway City.

Thursday, 12 July 2012

I'm very excited and more than a little nervous to be reading at this event. And in case you need reminding, I am not Irish, I just write in Ireland. So is my poetry Irish? I think it's more New European myself.

The ‘Science meets Poetry’ session at ESOF2012 is organised in partnership between the European Academy of Sciences Arts and Letters (EASAL) the French Society of Poets, Trinity College Dublin, die Kogge, Euroscience and Poetry Ireland.
The event is receiving support from the French Embassy in Dublin.

The meeting will be will be held in the Schrödinger Lecture Theatre, Fitzgerald Building, School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin a famous centre of Irish science.

The first part belongs to the Official Programme of ESOF2012, and will therefore be entirely in English (the official language of the Forum).

9:15 – 9:30 Welcome
9:30 – 10:00 The two Williams
Based on the correspondence between William Hamilton and William Wordsworth, bringing out Hamilton's enthusiasm for poetry, somewhat dampened by Wordsworth's rejection of his abilities as a poet, and Wordsworth's hatred of the burning of coal, industrial pollution, etc, leading to the ‘lake-ist’ and ‘aesthetist’ movements.
Professor Iggy Mc Govern of Trinity College Dublin

10:00 – 10:30 Ecology and Creationism in European Culture
Retracing such themes as Doctor Faustus and the Sorcerer's Apprentice of Goethe (both scientist and poet) via Marlowe's play, back to religious themes of theologians such as Savonarola and Medieval thinkers, and analysing their influence on the spirit of the Gothic novel (via Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson and others) and on Armageddon themes of contemporary European poets and writers. Jean-Patrick Connerade (Chaunes) Imperial College and the European Academy
10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 – 11:15 Wild Reckoning How contemporary poets and scientists were brought together to respond to a controversial and prophetic book warning against the indiscriminate use of pesticides and its consequences for the environment. A discussion of how today's poets see Nature and the future of the planet, and the influence science and technology have had on their outlook.
Maurice Riordan Irish poet and Professor of Literature living in the UK

11:15 – 11:45 Is love really molecular? In response to contemporary biologists who analyse human behaviour entirely in terms of molecular and evolutionary genetics, a Poet discusses how much in the ideal of human love is simply biological and evolutionary, and how much was actually created or invented by Poets and Philosophers down the ages, adapting their thoughts and culture to different times. Can it truly be said that love is molecular, and if so, what is the deeper meaning of the word?
Christophe Goarant French poet who has written on the theme of Don Juan for the theatre

11:45 – 12:15 The ‘Poetry of Facts’ of Arno Reinfrank The story of a well-known German book of poetry in which the celebrated poet Arno Reinfrank revisited the relation between poetry and the natural sciences.
Uli Rothfuss President of the German writers’ Association die Kogge

12:15 – 12:45 Discussion On the subjects raised, and more generally around the theme: should poets help scientists relate their work more closely to the aspirations of the public?Lunch break from 12:45 to 14:15

14:15 – 14:45 Du sens et de la forme en poésie The Importance of meaning and form in Poetry (Presentation in French with projection of the text in English by Vital Heurtebize President of the French Society of Poets

14:45 – 15:00 Science meets Poetry in the European Academy (Science et Poésie à l’Académie Européenne) Chaunes President of the European Academy of Sciences Arts and Literature

15:00 – 15:30 Some Chemical Poems by Professor Dr. Mario Markus of the Max-Planck-Institut in Dortmund

15:30 – 16:00 Oscar Wilde in Many Tongues (translations into many languages of some famous phrases of Oscar Wilde) a project initiated by the Linguaggi di Versi association presented by Anne Talvaz, Assumpció Forcada and Michael O hAoda.
16:00 – 16:30 Poster Session and coffee

16.30 – 17:00 The Significance of Irish Poetry in Russia a presentation by the poet Alla Valeria Michalevich a Palaeontologist from St Petersburg, who has translated works by Seamus Heaney and other Irish poets into Russian.

17:00 – 17:30 3 Irish Poet-scientists An opportunity for the poets from Europe to hear about three Irish counterparts Kate Dempsey (Physics), Noel Duffy (Physics) and Mary Montague (Genetics), who also marry science with poetry.
17:30 – 18:00 Close and Wine reception

Tuesday, 10 July 2012

The Chattahoochee Review is
seeking poetry, fiction, and nonfiction for a special focus
issue on Irish Literature to be published in late 2012.

TCR welcomes
submissions of poetry, fiction, flash fiction, drama, and
nonfiction—work reflective of a complex and contemporary Ireland—with
preference given to poetry that makes careful use of voice and theme,
fiction with an
imaginative focus on character, and nonfiction that transcends the
strictly personal. Both established and new voices encouraged.
Writers outside of the U.S. may e-mail submissions to gpccr@gpc.edu, noting the submission's genre and the Irish Lit issue in the subject box.

All submissions should state the author's name,
address, and email on the manuscript and should be accompanied by a
short biographical statement. Submissions will be accepted until October
1, 2012, or until issue is filled.
We are also considering regular submissions; see below.

Familiarity with our journal is the best way to know whether or not work is right for us.
We strongly encourage buying a sample copy or subscribing;
the first issue under new editorship is now available for $4
in PDF. Please buy and read it from your inbox before
submitting.

Our newly-streamlined response time averages two to three months, longer only in special circumstances.
We read year-round.

Send only your very best work with our assurance it will be given every consideration.

FICTIONTCR publishes high quality literary
fiction characterized by interest in language, development of
distinctive settings, compelling conflict, and complex, unique
characters. Please read a sample copy. Fiction should be double-spaced
with numbered pages and one-inch margins. Submit only one story or up to three short-shorts (500-1,000 words each) per envelope. We consider longer stories of up to 6,000 words and novellas.

POETRYTCR publishes excellent poetry of all
types, including informal personal narratives, prose poems, and formal
poems. We consider English translations of poetry from other languages,
in which case a brief biography of the poet and translator should be
included. Poetry should be single-spaced and include three to five
poems per submission.

NONFICTIONTCR publishes distinctive topical
essays and personal creative nonfiction of any kind; this includes
pieces that might fit into the memoir, travel, and historical
nonfiction categories. We are not an academic journal and publish for a
general readership. Above all, we are interested in publishing
nonfiction that surprises and intrigues us.

REVIEWS AND REVIEW ESSAYSTCR publishes reviews of current
fiction, poetry, and nonfiction books, especially those from writers
with an innovative approach to subject matter. Several related works
may be reviewed at more length in a review essay that engages critical
issues not appropriate to a single review. We are always in search of
new reviewers. Please query us (by snail mail) about the possibility of
a particular review or review essay, specifying your credentials for
the review.

For further enquiries about the Masterclass, contact Bronagh Keys at the
Galway Film Festival on 091 562200, or email masterclasses@galwayfilmfleadh.com.
Please note places are limited. Deadline for applications: Friday, 6th of July.
Tutors are subject to availability.

Since meeting at University, Alexander and Karaszewski have become one of the
most successful Hollywood screenwriting teams. Following the critical and
commercial success of Ed Wood, a passion project they wrote in just six weeks
(and which was so good it prompted Tim Burton to drop out of directing Mary
Reilly at the last minute) they have become the ‘go-to guys’ for ‘strange
scripts about weirdos’.

The studios trusted them enough to give them creative control of their
projects and they subsequently produced a series of compelling and
critically-lauded ‘anti-biopics – movies about somebody who doesn’t deserve one
– subversive, upside-down tales of an iconoclast fighting the establishment.’
First up was The People vs. Larry Flynt, directed by Miloš Forman, an unlikely
hit about the titular pornography publisher-turned free speech advocate. This
was followed by their second collaboration with the veteran Czech director,
1999’s Man on the Moon, a biopic of legendary comedian, entertainer and
sometimes-wrestler Andy Kaufman which Entertainment Weekly rated as the best
movie of the year and for which Jim Carrey won a Golden Globe for best actor.
Next up was Auto Focus, Paul Schrader’s dramatic portrayal of the descent of
affable TV star Bob Crane’s descent into Hollywood’s murky underbelly starring
Willem Dafoe and Greg Kinnear. Since then they have branched out into a variety
of different genres including the Stephen King horror adaptation 1408 and hit
children’s films Agent Cody Banks and Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters.

The duo are set to return to their roots this year and are currently writing
and directing another off-beat biopic, this time about celebrated painter
Margaret Keane, in the Tim Burton-produced Big Eyes, starring Ryan Reynolds and
Reese Witherspoon. They continue to produce engaging work that transcends the
traditional boundary between studio-produced Hollywood films and the more
personal stories of indie cinema.

Oh that voice!

Oh the words. Fantastic. Happy Day

Friday, 6 July 2012

The Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award is for a first unpublished collection of poems in English by an Irish poet. The award is now in its 41st year. Previous winners include Eileán Ni Chuilleanáin, Paul Durcan, Thomas McCarthy, Peter Sirr, Sinead Morrissey, Conor O’Callaghan, Pat Boran, Joseph Woods and Geraldine Mitchell.

I wonder what other names are on the list that are not so well known.Prize: The winner of this year’s award will receive €1,000.

There used to be prizes for second and third. Damn the recession!
The Award will be presented on Friday 28th September 2012 at the opening of the Annual Patrick Kavanagh Weekend in Inniskeen.
Rules and entry form from the Patrick Kavanagh Centre, Inniskeen:

Thursday, 5 July 2012

Peace Camp is a series of installations taking place in some of the most
beautiful coastal locations around the UK from 19th-22nd July, including the
North Antrim coast and Mussenden Temple in Coleraine.

Glowing lights,
designed to be visited at dusk and dawn, are accompanied by the nation's
favourite love poems, read out loud by a wide range of people from across
the country, including actors Jane Horrocks and Simon Russell Beale and poet
Seamus Heaney.

It sounds like an lovely and imaginative project.

Created by Deborah Warner in collaboration with the actor Fiona Shaw, it is designed to be visited at dusk or dawn, it is designed to be an exploration of love poetry and a celebration of the beauty and variety of the coastline.

They plans to paint an audible portrait of the UK, celebrating our the many accents
and dialects.

They are also looking for lots of contributions to our
interactive website. They are creating an online anthology of love poetry in
which you can

nominate your favourite love poem,

record yourself
reading a famous love poem,

upload your own love poetry or message.

upload an image inspired by love

The
British Library will be archiving the website, including all contributions,
for posterity.
This is inspired by the Olympic Truce and organised by the Artichoke Trust.

Wednesday, 4 July 2012

Cosmos, founded in 2004, is a
literary science magazine that reaches 40,000 readers every month around
the globe, and covers everything from science fact to science fiction.
Cosmos are now on the lookout for innovative science fiction short stories
that that make you think about the future in
a different way.

Now Cosmos are hosting a short story competition to find new sci-fi short stories. The winning
short story will be printed in the next issue of Cosmos Magazine, and the
two runners-up will see their work published on Cosmos Online. For more
information and to submit your work, please visit

Tuesday, 3 July 2012

Marie Coveny and John Saunders will be reading from their new publication 'Measuring' recently published by Dedalus Press.

Dedalus has decided to do its bit to revive that hugely useful (perhaps even crucial) 'introductory' volume tradition with the publication of the first in a new, annual series, Dedalus New Writers. Entitled Measuring: Dedalus New Writers 1, and featuring a selection of work by three very impressive up-and-coming poets, Marie Coveney from Cork, Clare McCotter from Derry and John Saunders from Offaly, this first in the series is both a statement of confidence in the wealth of new writing out there but also the beginning of a journey in which we hope to bridge the gap between individual magazine and book-length publication, though we also intend to draw attention to writers associated with other small presses, in the certain belief that good writing, wherever it comes from, deserves our support.

Marie Coveney's poem ‘Our Time’ won the American-Ireland Fund Single Poem Competition at the Listowel Literary Festival in 2008. Her work has been published in: Poetry Ireland Review, THE SHOp, The Stony Thursday Book and Southword Online. She performed at the 2010 West Cork Literary Festival in ‘The Next Generation Poets’ reading, and The Kinsale Arts Festival 2011. She was awarded special merit in The Dromineer Literary Festival 2010 and shortlisted for the Patrick Kavanagh Award in 2010. She was published in The Sunday Business Post, March 2011, having featured in BBC1 TV Spotlight program.She has also been shortlisted for The Listowel Collection Competition 2011 and The Cork Literary Review Manuscript Competition 2011.

John Saunders’ first collection After the Accident was published in 2010 by Lapwing Press, Belfast. His poems have appeared in Revival, The Moth Magazine, Crannog, Prairie Schooner Literary Journal (Nebraska), Sharp Review, The Stony Thursday Book, Boyne Berries, Riposte and online in The Smoking Poet, Minus Nine Squared, The First Cut and The Weary Blues. John is the Director of Shine, a national voluntary mental health organisation. He lives in Co. Offaly.

Sunday, 1 July 2012

No I'm not there (I wish!) but Mexico has been in touch, or more specifically Jack Little who runs the Ofi Press, an online literary publication based in Mexico City,

They are planning an Irish edition and are looking
for new submissions from poets, fiction writers, reviewers, artists,
photographers from Ireland.

Submissions are rolling throughout the
year for our monthly editions and poets should send up to 6 poems of up to 30
lines long each and fiction, articles and reviews should be a maximum of 2000
words.